The Wolf Inside - A Naruto Fanfic - Watty Award Winner 2013

****Winner of the Most Popular Naruto Fanfic Watty Award 2013/14****
Ashley Minami was found by Leaf Ninja just outside of their Village. The Hokage allows the mysterious girl to stay, and places her on Team 7. Kakashi knows that he's seen this girl...

I take my time heading to my team's meeting point, rather enjoying the early morning sunshine on my face. We were all told to meet at some bridge about an hour ago, but to be honest, I'm not too worried about getting there on time. I mean, it's not like Kakashi ever is. He's always two or three hours late.

I stifle a yawn while I casually stroll through the Village, watching some of the early rising civilians as they begin setting up their street stalls and opening their shops. Tilting my head back to look up, I can tell that it's going to be a beautiful day, if the clear sky is anything to go by. One or two clouds float lazily by, a cool morning breeze blowing through my hair.

As I look up at the sky, three shadows leap over me, causing me to raise an eyebrow. I didn't have a chance to see who they were, but they seem to be in a bit of a hurry. I suppose bounding over roof tops is a lot quicker than navigating your way through the streets.

As I look back down to the road, a small yelp catches my attention, just as something furry crashes right into my face and almost knocks me backwards.

"What the hell?!" I exclaim, not having expecting the impact. I feel tiny feet scrabbling at the sides of my head, before I reach up and manage to pull the furry thing from my face.

Trying my best not to deadpan at the small creature in my hands, I find myself staring into an adorable white face.

Realising that I'm actually not going to hurt him, the white puppy tilts his head the opposite way to me and stares at me for a moment. Before long, the young Canine's brown tail begins to wag, moving faster as I gently scratch behind one of his soft ears.

"Arf!" he barks happily, to which I pull him closer to me and allow him to nestle comfortably in my arms. I'm not really a Dog person myself, but this little guy is kind of.....cute.

"I suppose I'd better get you back to your moron of a master then hey?" I ask the pup, looking down as I tickle his soft, furry tummy.

Heaving a sigh, I turn around and glance up at a nearby building, only to see a grey clad boy standing on top of the roof. He momentarily closes his eyes and raises his nose in the air, looking like he's trying to smell something. The boy's head immediately turns down towards me, his animal like eyes popping open and focusing on his Dog.

His eyes widen slightly at the sight of me, as he leaps down to the ground and easily lands on all fours. The boy cautiously rises to his feet, taking in the blank stare I'm giving him and the way I softly ruffle the fur on his puppy's head.